Tile lines vulnerable to runoff

Preliminary research presented at the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin Dairy Policy Summit offered some new insight regarding runoff through tile lines. Discovery Farms researchers have learned that:

During snow melt, tile flow may occur before surface flow — by about 24 to 48 hours.

Soil exhibiting preferential flow paths above the tile may not filter as many nutrients from water (before it reaches the tile) as previously believed.

Even on frozen ground, the nutrient losses through a tile line can be comparable to surface-water runoff in some instances.